What check size does Darren Pleasance write?

Darren Pleasance typically writes checks of $100K – $5M.

Where did Darren Pleasance go to school?

Darren Pleasance studied at UCLA Anderson School of Management (MBA, Business); UC Santa Barbara (BS, Mechanical Engineering); Granada High School.

Darren Pleasance

Former Partner at McKinsey & Company

San Francisco Bay Area

Writes $100K – $5M checks · typically $1.5M

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About

Darren Pleasance is President and CEO of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the world's largest general aviation membership organization. Previously, he held leadership roles at Cisco and Google, where he led customer acquisition and business scaling initiatives, and served as a partner at McKinsey & Company specializing in sales, marketing, and small- and medium-sized business strategy. Pleasance has held multiple aviation positions including corporate flight department management and board service with the EAA, and holds certifications as a flight instructor, charter pilot, and aerobatic pilot.

Experience

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA)Chief Executive Officer2025 — 2026Frederick, MD
CiscoSVP, Cisco Acceleration Center2023 — 2025Bend, Oregon, United States
CiscoSVP, Strategic Execution Office2021 — 2023San Jose, California, United States
CiscoSVP, Go-to-Market Strategy and Operations2018 — 2021United States
GoogleManaging Director Global Customer Acquisitions2012 — 2018Mountain View, California
McKinsey & CompanyPartner1998 — 2012Palo Alto, California, United States
Arthur D. LittleConsultant1995 — 1998
Nanco EnterprisesAssociate1990 — 1995
Southern California Jets, IncPresident, Pilot1987 — 1990Santa Barbara, California Area

Skills & more

Management66Strategy51Leadership12Strategic Planning5Software as a Service (SaaS)1SaaSExecutive Leadership1IT Operations1SalesBusiness TransformationSales StrategyChannel Partners

+12 more

Information TechnologySales ManagementSales OperationsDigital MarketingExecutive CommunicationsGo-to-Market StrategyBusiness ManagementBusiness StrategyBusiness ValuationMarketing StrategySmall BusinessCustomer Relations

Certified Flight Instructor — Federal Aviation Administration

From Darren's professional profile.

Network5

Akshay

Senior Principal at Further Ventures

Enrico Resmini

Partner at McKinsey & Company

Ketan Shah

Partner at McKinsey & Company

Teddy Lee

Investor at McKinsey & Company

Vanessa Colella

Partner at McKinsey & Company

Investors connected to Darren in public investor directories — a warm-intro map.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Darren Pleasance?: Darren Pleasance is President and CEO of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the world's largest general aviation membership organization. Previously, he held leadership roles at Cisco and Google, where he led customer acquisition and business scaling initiatives, and served as a partner at McKinsey & Company specializing in sales, marketing, and small- and medium-sized business strategy. Pleasance has held multiple aviation positions including corporate flight department management and board service with the EAA, and holds certifications as a flight instructor, charter pilot, and aerobatic pilot.
What check size does Darren Pleasance write?: Darren Pleasance typically writes checks of $100K – $5M.
Where did Darren Pleasance go to school?: Darren Pleasance studied at UCLA Anderson School of Management (MBA, Business); UC Santa Barbara (BS, Mechanical Engineering); Granada High School.